Quality is not the best due to lack of skill of by the photographer. Pictures were taken from the Nickel Bridge and near Belle Isle.

This memorial weekend, it would be better to swim in one of the many neighborhood pools opening up for the season than to hit the river. RT-D is reporting:

James River Park System Manager Ralph White says high river levels from recent rains have made holiday weekend swimming risky.

“This is SOS — stay on shore. It’s not the time to be in the water,” he said. “There’s more water and it’s going faster, so what were normally benign conditions you play around with become treacherous and you don’t know it until you’re in it. It’s unrelenting.”

Stay safe, have fun, swim in the river another day!

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports:

The National Weather Service says the James crested this morning at 10.66 feet at the river’s Westham Gauge, just west of the Huguenot Bridge. Flood stage at that point is 12 feet.

Thanks to John and River District News for pointing this out to me.

Image by Thomas Daniel if you like it go buy the book, People of the James

From the Art6 website:

Shoot the James
A photographic salute to Richmond’s James River Friday, March 6 through Sunday, March 29, 2009 This invitational features a wide selection of original work celebrating the James River, including portraits by Thomas Daniel from his book series “People of the James” (above), video images by Georgianne Stinnett, the seminal landscapes of John Henley, and fauna subjects by wildlife photographer Lynda Richardson and biologist Anne Wright. Shoot the James is curated by art6 member Tricia Pearsall, and proceeds from catalog sales will benefit the James River Outdoor Coalition.

You can check out more pages of “People of the James” here.

Art 6
6 East Broad Street
Richmond, Virginia 23219
(804) 343-1406
Thursday-Sunday, 12 to 4 p.m.

RTD has a write up on the Conservation Easement proposal that was introduced by City Council President Kathy Graziano.

A conservation easement would be placed on about 280 acres of parkland, including the James River Park System, Great Shiplock Park and Belle Isle, meaning the land never could be sold or developed, even with ball fields or cell-phone towers.

Richmond Planning Commission yesterday unanimously endorsed the proposed conservation easement for the James River Park system.
Calling the vote a “no-brainer”, the commission moved the proposed ordinance forward to the City Council Land Use, Housing and Transportation Committee meeting February 17.

The easement is the project of Council President Kathy Graziano, who has worked for almost four years to obtain protection for the park from development pressures. The ordinance guarantees that no portion of the park can be sold at any time in the future, and prohibits commercial, industrial or residential development in the park.

If approved by City Council, the easement would be the first on an undeveloped urban park in Virginia and possibly the United States. The document maintains city ownership of the park, and allows the Department of Parks, Recreation and Community facilities to continue to manage the park. City infrastructure is also protected, and the city retains the ability to meet any future state or federal mandate that would require infrastructure work in the park.

The proposed conservation easement for James River Park is before the Planning Commission Monday February 2 at 1:30. The Planning Commission meets on the Fifth Floor of City Hall and citizen participation is encouraged. Earlier in the week Kathy sent a letter in support of the easement to all members. The full text of the letter can be found here: ce-transmittal-letter

On October 24, 2005, Richmond City Council, by resolution 2005-R210-217, directed the City Attorney to prepare documents placing the parcel(s) of city-owned property known as the James River Park under the protection of a conservation easement, prohibiting commercial, residential and industrial development in any part of the Park as defined by the easement documents. I was primary patron of the resolution, which was approved unanimously.

The James River is above normal, and there have been a couple of lower-key rescues the last couple of days. Lots of folks are expected to be out on the river the next couple of days, so please use caution.

A kayak’s eye view of the James, from Huguenot to Reedy Creek.